80-year-old convicted for nursing home abuse

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An 80-year-old man was on Thursday convicted of rape in connection with the abuse of a woman in her seventies who suffered from dementia at a nursing home in Luleå in northern Sweden.

The man was convicted by the court on charges of rape and sexual coercion.

He was given a conditional sentence and will avoid having to spend time in prison due to his advanced years. He was ordered to pay 100,000 kronor ($15,500) in damages to the woman.

The case gained additional attention when the court proceedings began in May after revelations that the head of the nursing home declined to inform the police of the sexual abuse, despite repeat reports from employees.

According to a Sveriges Television (SVT) report it took up to five days after the abuse came to light before a report was filed and relatives were told.

After finally having been informed of the abuse, the spouse of the female victim, who suffers from Alzheimer's, asked that she move accommodation but was told that it was not necessary.

According to SVT, the nursing home had not informed her husband nor her family that the man accused of perpetrating the abuse is still resident in the same department as the woman.

The head of the nursing home explained that it was not possible to divulge any information regarding the case, citing patient confidentiality.